


Foundation

by Arctimon



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), Big Hero 6: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-11-04 02:15:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17889593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arctimon/pseuds/Arctimon
Summary: After all of their work as students and superheroes, Hiro and the gang decide to take a day off from both. But what happens when they decide to bring Karmi into their plans? Perhaps a good time...if the two teen geniuses don't end up strangling each other first. Hiro/Karmi. The final chapter, Extra Frame, is now up!





	1. Zero In

_**Disclaimer:** Big Hero 6 is owned by Disney Animation. I also have nothing witty to add here except to artificially lengthen this disclaimer._

* * *

_**Chapter 1 – Zero In** _

The train car careened around the track, gaining speed after every turn. It was just a matter of time before the inevitable would happen.

Before anyone could react, the inertia carried it off of the track, causing it to crash down to the ground below. The entire structure started to burst into flames, ensuing destruction and chaos…

"Well, that wasn't suppose to happen."

Great way to ruin the immersion, Go Go.

The Korean made a few notes on her computer, rubbing her chin in thought. "The magnetic pull is just not strong enough. I wonder if it has to do with the speed..."

"May I inquire as to why there's a fire in the middle of your station?"

"Sorry," Go Go said to the new arrival. "I'm fine tuning some stuff about my project."

"I can see that," Granville replied, her clipboard to her chest. "Does it involve me pulling the fire alarm?"

"Hopefully not." The fire had since died down, allowing Go Go to pick up the disheveled model from the floor. "It might be the centrifugal force that's causing it to fly off. Maybe I should make the track longer..."

"Do you have any additional models to test that theory?"

"Not until Hiro gets back from his lab with another one."

"Mr. Hamada?" Granville asked. "Is he helping you out with this?"

"Yup, he's my unofficial lab assistant today. You know...because he doesn't have a final project anymore."

No response.

"You know...because his final project almost blew up the entire city."

"I am very aware of that fact, thank you."

Just then, Hiro burst through the door. Walking up to the two, he held up a brand new train car model to Go Go. "This is the last one. I don't have enough materials for another."

"Ahh, Mr. Hamada! I'm glad that you're lending your assistance out. I do need to speak to you about one particular thing."

"Which is?"

"I wanted to see if you had given any thought about adapting an alternate project to continue on."

"I have a bunch of ideas in my head," Hiro said, "But I'm going to need some more time to come up with something."

Suddenly, a mass whizzed past both of their bodies, slamming into the far wall. Both Granville and Hiro turned to Go Go, who was still looking at her computer.

"Yup, _definitely_ the centrifugal force."

"Well, at least the horrendous crashes are happening in the test phase, and not the real life stage," Granville deadpanned. She made a check mark on her paper. "Let's see what improvements you can make down the road in a week...providing there's still a lab to return to." She glanced down at Hiro. "Same for you, Mr. Hamada. Even though we aren't in session, I still want you to think up some ideas for next week."

The dean turned to Wasabi's station, but found it empty. Unperturbed, she went over to the next station, and was met with a giant pile of books.

"Ms. Rodriguez, are you in there?"

One of the towers on the ground got pushed aside, and Honey Lemon emerged from the makeshift mountain, her hair a mess. "Hello, Professor. How are you doing?"

"Besides nearly being gutted by your colleague's bullet train, splendid. Have you been able to make any additional progress with Ms. Shimamoto?

"There's not really a lot of information other than what's publicly available. Trust me, I'm going through all of San Fransokyo's history here (she waved to the monument behind her). I even have Wasabi and Fred helping me out."

"Yeah, and some of this writing is way too fancy for my tastes!" Fred shouted from around the corner. "It has too many loops in it!"

"It's called 'cursive', Fred." Wasabi sighed.

"Yes, Mr. Frederickson. Perhaps it would be in your best interest to learn it?"

Granville turned her attention back to Honey Lemon, who continued on. "I even took another trip down to her secret lab to try to get some inspiration, but I didn't have much luck."

"I assume you got permission from SFAT to go there?"

"Umm...definitely," she grimaced.

Granville narrowed her eyes at her student. "In any case, hopefully you will be able to make some progress in the upcoming weeks. I've heard the City Board is interesting in your findings. I'm sure something will turn up."

"Let's hope so." She made a motion to dive back into her pile, but Granville tugged on her sleeve.

"Before you go back to your work, Ms. Rodriguez, may I ask you an unrelated question?"

"Uh...sure."

"As much as I rather enjoy the work ethic of all of you," Granville said, glancing again at Fred in his chair, "Have you had any opportunity to partake in something a little less...strenuous?"

"What do you mean, Professor?"

"Well, ever since the end of the semester, I've seen the lot of you here every single day. Again, I never mind working hard, but perhaps it would be good to relax for a little bit." Granville smiled at her. "Just give it some thought. I'm not even here every single moment of the day, and I would be remiss if I made my students adhere to a stricter work schedule than myself." She made her exit out the side door, heading back to her office.

"You know what? Professor Granville's right."

"She is!" Fred came around the corner, holding another book upside down. "Maybe I _should_ learn cursive!"

"No, not...that." Honey Lemon wrestled her stool out from the pile and sat down. "When was the last time we all just went out and enjoyed ourselves? We haven't done anything since Tad-"

She stopped herself short. "I mean...since Hiro got to school. All we're doing is either cooping ourselves up here or going out on patrol. And even patrol's gotten boring. We haven't had any disturbances since that random robber from a week and a half ago."

"And even that was uneventful." Wasabi joined the two. "I never saw someone give up that fast."

"Clearly you're forgetting the time we asked you to drive to get our food during that thunderstorm."

"We both know that wasn't going to happen, Go Go!" he replied to his lab neighbor. "Do you have any idea how many bad drivers are out there? Literally hundreds."

"Yes, I do. I drive a cycle, remember?" she retorted. "And I agree with Honey Lemon. We've been here way too much. And I've run out of names to call my minion."

"I am _not_ a minion!" Hiro yelled behind her.

Go Go smirked before lowering her voice. "Besides, ever since we beat Obake, it's like Hiro's been even more of a workaholic. He 'volunteered' to be my assistant? C'mon. No one _volunteers_ to be my assistant."

The four students lowered their heads, trying to think of something.

"And no, Fred, I'm not taking everyone to go bird watching."

Fred lowered his hand, slightly disappointed.

"Oh, I know," Honey Lemon chimed in. "Remember when we used to go bowling after all of the final exams with the other students? We can go do that!"

"Man, I almost forgot about that place." Go Go replied. "I think it's still there; let me check." She pulled out her phone and started scrolling. "Yeah, here we go. I'm surprised it's still in business. It's one of the oldest places in San Fransokyo."

"Fun doesn't have an expiration date, Go Go."

"Wow, that was surprisingly wise coming from you, Fred."

"Well, my parents used to take me there all the time," he added. "Mom was able to get it designated at a state landmark in the last City Council meeting."

"It's settled, then." Honey Lemon clasped her hands together in excitement. "Let's shoot for Friday. I don't think any of us are doing anything that day, and the way things are going, we shouldn't be disturbed by anything going on in the city."

"You think Regina would want to come with us?" Wasabi asked.

"Nah, she's still not talking to me. I heard she got a new roommate. Either way, I don't want to bother her."

"But we need a sixth person! We'll have uneven teams then. We always go with six."

Wasabi sat down next to Honey Lemon, thinking. "Well, with Hiro, we have five. We could take Baymax, but I have a feeling he wouldn't fit in that much. We'd also have to teach him how to-"

He stopped as Go Go's contorted to a menacing look. "Oh no. I know what that face is. You have an evil plan or something."

"Me? No. I just know who we can invite instead." Go Go waved the other three together and huddled.

A few moments later, Hiro came around the corner, holding Go Go's laptop. "Have you checked the centrifugal clutch on your train? It might be causing the engine to combust-"

Hiro paused as he looked up at the faces of his friends. "Did...I miss something?"

"We're planning a trip out on Friday. We're going to the bowling alley on Nakamura Avenue."

"Pierre's?" Hiro asked. "I used to go to that place all the time with Aunt Cass and Tadashi. Haven't really been since high school. Sounds like fun."

"We were also thinking about bringing a sixth along for a team game or two."

"Have any ideas?"

Go Go smirked as she continued to stare at him. "Oh, I have the perfect idea."

Hiro looked around at them, confused. "I don't. Someone want to-"

Oh. _Now_ he got it. He held up his finger in a standoff. "No. _No._ Absolutely not."

"You don't even know who I'm going to say."

"I know _exactly_ who you're going to say, and the answer is no," the teen genius retorted, heading back around the corner.

Honey Lemon followed him over to Go Go's track. "Hiro, why not? What's the worst thing that's going to happen?"

"...She locks me in her office and exposes me to some virus that will cause my eyes to turn into goo and pour out of my sockets?"

Honey Lemon looked up, lost in thought. "Yes. That...is definitely something she could do. But I was thinking more along the lines of her just saying no. Besides, you two are friends, right?"

"Friends? Absolutely. Heck, I learned that they sometimes have lunch together," Go Go added with a smirk.

"First of all," Hiro said as he turned his attention to her, "It was dessert. Secondly, how do you even know about that?"

She said nothing, still grinning.

"You know what? Not important." He waved his arms in front of him. "Besides, I don't even think she exists outside of school and her work."

"Didn't you take her up on a blimp and-"

"Go Go, let's leave aside the fact that all of my friends apparently know everything I do when I'm not here for a second," Hiro interrupted. "I thought you didn't like her."

"I never said that."

"This doesn't sound familiar?" Hiro raised his voice in a mocking tone. " _Karmi doesn't_ _ **have**_ _friends. The only thing she had going for her? Being the youngest genius at the school. Now, that's your thing. You took her thing._ "

"Nowhere in there did I say I hated her. We just don't talk to each other."

"Guys, back me up here," Hiro craned his neck around Go Go's body to his other three friends only to find their heads buried in more history books at Honey Lemon's desk. "Gee, thanks for your support, guys."

"Look." Go Go put his hand on his shoulder. "In all honesty, I really don't care. But you know as well as I do that Karmi has been staying at school just as often as we have. Don't you think she deserves a fun night out as well?"

"I guess."

"Good." She looked at her phone. "Because you have about fifteen minutes before we leave. Go and ask her now."

"Waitwaitwaitwait." Hiro shook his head violently. "No one said anything about _me_ asking her. This was _your_ idea."

"Yeah, and she's _your_ friend. And do you really want me asking her? We might get to talking about her fabled _Captain Cutie_ and-"

"Stop." Hiro sighed. "Fine. I'll do it. But not because you asked me to." He headed off toward the side door. "I'll meet you guys at the car."

Once he left, Go Go turned back to gather her things...to find Fred laying down on her magnetic track, slowly sliding around it.

"Look, Go Go! I'm a train now!"

The Korean turned to Wasabi, who held his hands up to her. "Don't look at me; I didn't do anything."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Honey Lemon walked up to her. "I'm all for trying to include her in things, but this could end badly on so many levels."

"You agreed to this, remember?"

"I just don't want anybody's feelings getting hurt."

"Neither do I."

The two girls sat there for a moment, lost in their own thoughts.

"...If we leave now, we might still be able to watch him ask her."

"I'll grab my stuff!"

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _(Still not going to talk about the "real" name I gave Honey Lemon, but if you look between the lines, you'll find out why I gave it to her. Trust me, it's not that hidden.)_

This is the next step in Operation "Try To Establish Karmi As A Member Of The Group".

Note to self. Think of a better title.

This story will be six or seven chapters long (haven't really decided yet), with an update hopefully every week. All chapter titles and even the story title will be bowling terms, so if you look between the lines, you might be able to see what's coming up in the chapters. And the best part is that a lot of this story is already written, so I probably won't have to rush at the last minute to write stuff.

Probably.

Maybe.

Next chapter will pick up in a familiar place: Hiro in an awkward position with Karmi. Not literally, or course.

...Maybe.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.


	2. Never Up, Never In

_**Disclaimer:** Big Hero 6 is owned by Disney Animation. I wonder who's going to get owned in this chapter._

* * *

_**Chapter 2 – Never Up, Never In** _

It was almost like someone on a higher plane of existence was toying with him.

It wasn't enough that he had accidentally run into her on numerous occasions now.

It wasn't enough that he had spoken to her both as a regular person and as a superhero.

Nope. Now he was to the point where he was actively _seeking her out_.

He had a choice, of course. All he had to do was say no to Go Go, and they would have to find somebody else to go with them.

Peer pressure. Gotta love it.

You know, there was still time left. Maybe he could just _pretend_ to talk to her. Or say that she had already left for the day.

He didn't know what to do.

...Maybe that's why Hiro had spent the last five minutes just staring at the door of her lab.

He let out a heavy sigh. It was hard to believe that it was only a few months ago that he didn't even know of Karmi's existence. But now, it was like having another shadow. Sure, she wasn't around every single day, but when she did pop up, he couldn't get rid of her.

What was he afraid of, anyway? That she would agree to come, they'd go out and have a good time, and maybe she would possible be able to join up with them more often? Gee, what a _terrifying_ prospect that was.

Great, now he felt even worse.

It wasn't her fault that they keep stumbling into each other. It wasn't like he purposefully stayed after classes to meet her in the cafe. Or get grounded so they could have an argument on the steps of the campus. Or go on patrol specifically in that area of town. Or even have Aunt Cass take him out to the exact same restaurant she was working at.

It was the Irony Gods; he was sure of it.

Hiro dropped his backpack onto the ground. This was stupid. All he had to do was knock and ask her. That was all. It wasn't a matter of life and death, no matter how much his brain was making it out to be.

And unless one of her organisms mutated and was currently trashing the lab, she definitely was in there. He had been there long enough to hear her moving inside.

He raised his fist up to the door…

"So, have you asked her yet?"

His head snapped to the left so quickly he almost cricked his neck. "Go Go? Honey Lemon? What are you two doing here?"

Yup, the two girls were down the hallway, poking their heads right around the corner, the rest of their bodies hidden from his sight. Honey Lemon, being a full foot taller than her classmate, was much higher up the wall than Go Go. It was almost comical...if Hiro wasn't busy being mad at them.

"We were just making sure you're following through with your assignment."

"Yeah, and I was...making sure she was following through with your follow-through."

He shook his head at them. "You guys couldn't think of something better to come up with?"

"Well, that..." Go Go tapped her wrist. "And you got about five minutes. Ten if Wasabi's feeling generous."

"You guys can't wait for a little bit? I still have to-"

"Excuse me."

A new voice entered the fray, and Hiro quickly looked back in front of him. There was Karmi, exiting her lab, purse in her hands, lines under her eyes...and his knuckles precariously resting right above her eyebrows.

"Umm."

Karmi sighed, not even able to muster up any sort of aggression towards him. "Can you remove your fist from my forehead, please?"

"Sorry." He brought his hand down to his side, and then he remembered why he was there. "Hey, Karmi! I was just talking to-"

He motioned over to the corner where Honey Lemon and Go Go were, but quickly found they had abandoned their post. Karmi followed his gaze, smiling slightly. "Did the wall have anything interesting to say?"

"They were just here. Ugh!" Pushing his frustration aside, he remembered what he was there to do. "So...how's it going?"

"It's going." She rubbed her head absentmindedly. "Look, no offense, but I'm in a hurry, Genius Boy. So if you want something, make it quick."

"I...umm..." Oh great, now he was having difficulty speaking. "I wanted...to..."

Karmi was clearly not having any of his stammering, because she cut him off before he could continue. "OK, here's what I want you to do." She clapped her hands together, leaning them toward him. "Take some time to actually think about what you're going to say, and then get back to me, OK? Good night."

She started to walk off, and Hiro tried to get her attention back. "Wait, hang on!"

"I sincerely doubt anything you have to say to me is going to get me to stop." Karmi waved him off. "Good _night_."

She was almost around the corner when he yelled out again.

" _Did you want to come out with us on Friday?"_

Karmi's hand slapped the wall as she stopped her forward momentum. Her head came back from around the corner, a now confused look on her face.

"What?"

That wasn't exactly the response that he was looking for, but Hiro was just happy she stopped. "We're going out on Friday afternoon. Me, Go Go, Honey Lemon, Fred, Wasabi...the whole group. We wanted to see if you wanted to come along with us."

Throughout the entirety of this explanation, Karmi was slowly walking back to him, her eyebrows going lower and lower. It was hard to tell whether she was getting mad or was just generally confused.

"We were thinking about going bowling over at Pierre's, and we'll probably go out and get food afterward. Go out and relax for a little bit."

She finally reached him, stone-faced. Hiro's speech was speeding up the more she stared at him.

"Because, you know, all work and no play makes everyone really cranky. Or however that old saying goes. I think it might talk about some boy named-"

"Stop."

Hiro stopped.

"Bowling?"

Good. No physical violence. Yet. "Yeah, bowling." Hiro paused and pantomimed rolling an imaginary ball. "You know, knock down a bunch of wooden pins with a heavy weighted sphere with three holes in it."

"I...know what bowling is, thanks."

"Sooo...do you want to come?"

"Question." He thought he saw a glimpse of sadness in her eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Why are you asking _me_?"

"Because." Realizing he needed a little more context, he continued on. "Because all we ever do is just work our butts off here. We need a break, even if it's just for an afternoon. And I... _we_...thought you could use it too." He threw his arms out as he stepped forward. "Besides, when was the last time you went out in the city and had a good time?"

Karmi looked away sheepishly, not responding.

"OK, let me ask this. When was the last time you went _out_?"

Still quiet.

"I...can't shorten the sentence any more, so you're going to have to help me out a little here."

"I haven't, OK!?"

Karmi's shouting stopped him in his tracks. Her glare had him back off a couple of paces, bringing his arms up for protection. After a moment, she let out a sigh. "Look, I don't know if you've noticed, Genius Boy, but I'm not exactly Ms. Popular around here. I don't _get_ invited out for things."

"Wasn't bowling for everyone after the finals?"

"They stopped before I enrolled here. Couldn't tell you why."

Her face was sullen, for reasons Hiro couldn't parse. No matter. He still wanted to say his piece. "Karmi, if you don't want to come, that's fine. You don't _have_ to. I just...thought I'd offer."

"I didn't say I didn't want to go." Karmi shifted her purse to her other side. "I just...I have to ask my parents."

"You have a curfew?"

"The curfew's not the problem." She deliberately avoided his questioning look. "I just don't think they would actually believe me if I asked them."

"Wow, that's...actually kinda sad."

"Oh gee, thanks."

Hiro threw his hood over his head and grabbed his backpack. "I sure everyone's waiting for me. Sorry if I kept you. If you want to take some time to think about it, that's fine. Just let me know what you want to do."

"I have a better idea."

Karmi closed the distance between them, grasping at his drawstring of his hoodie. She twirled it between her fingers for a second...

"Karmi, what are you-"

And promptly yanked on it, closing the hood around his head.

"Hey!"

He felt the palm of her hand slap the top of his head and her footsteps walking away. "Give me a call on Wednesday. I'll let you know then."

"Call you?" Hiro winced as he rubbed his now throbbing head. "How am I suppose to call you? I don't even have your num-"

He felt it before he saw it.

He slowly freed his head from the closed hood. On top of said hood had been placed a singular sticky note, with only one thing on it.

A string of ten numbers, separated by two dashes.

He looked up to try to ask Karmi another question, but the hallway was now empty. Hiro shook his head in disbelief, folding the note into his pocket.

"...So that's what it feels like."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Yes, Hiro, your pattern for leaving the briefest of messages everywhere for Karmi has finally backfired on you. You'll remember that he's done that three times now (once in **Magnetism** , again in **Steps** , and finally in **Giving** ). Glad it's rubbing off on someone else.

Don't worry, Karmi's reluctance will be revealed in due time. No, I don't have any plans to actually bring Karmi's parents into the story...directly.

We still have one chapter to go before we get to the actual night out. We'll have to duck back to the Lucky Cat Cafe to do so, Baymax and Aunt Cass will make appearances, and there may also be karaoke in the shower.

But who's going to do it? MYSTERIES!

Read and review, if you wish. Until next time, everyone.


	3. Handicap

_**Disclaimer:** Big Hero 6 is owned by Disney Animation. The lyrics below are the property of Mr. Abel Makkonen Tesfaye and Republic Records. You guys might know him as someone else. But we'll get to that later._

_Oh, and I hope you like long chapters, because this one is a doozy._

_**EDIT:**_ _Oh, I also upped the rating from General to Teen. You'll find out why down below._

* * *

_**Chapter 3 – Handicap** _

" _Staring at the screen of an electronic device can cause several symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome, more commonly known as CVS. It is recommended that you look away at an alternate object twenty feet away every 20 minutes to prevent any headaches or blurred vision."_

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Baymax blinked. _"Hiro, you have been looking at your cellular phone for twenty-seven minutes."_

"It hasn't been that long."

" _I was timing it."_

Hiro looked up at his robot. "I called her, like, a half-hour ago. Why didn't she call back?"

" _I am afraid I do not understand."_

Oh yeah. He realized he didn't actually tell his companion what was happening. Although since his mind was currently running through the possibilities of why exactly Karmi wasn't calling him back, he had to keep it simple. "I'm...expecting a call from someone."

" _Is it important?"_

Hiro's gaze went back down to his phone. "You could say that."

It was Wednesday night, and Hiro was currently occupying one of the booths in the Lucky Cat Cafe. Two days had passed since his hallway conversation with Karmi, and as per her instructions, he had waited until today to call her. He wasn't sure why she wanted him to wait until this specific point, but he didn't want to push the issue. That was why Tuesday had been uneventful; he had stayed confined to his lab, partly to give Karmi some space, and partly because he didn't want his head to get slapped again.

Almost as soon as he had gotten home and situated in his room, he had pulled out his phone and her written note and dialed. Nervous, he put the phone to his ear.

One ring tone.

Then two.

And then a click.

Oh geez, he was expecting a third tone. "Hey. It's-"

" _Thanks for calling. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Leave your name and number and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."_

Great. Maybe this was just her way of getting back at him for something that he oh yeah, he probably should leave a message.

"Hey, Karmi."

OK, a little more than that.

"This is Hiro."

...Good gravy, this is like pulling teeth.

"I was just calling to see if you were still interested in coming out with us on Friday. Which is totally fine if you don't want to, or if you can't. Just...give me a call when you get this message. I'll talk to you later."

Hiro hung up, internally cursing. He really needed a script for this sort of thing.

* * *

And now here we are. Just a teen staring at his phone, ignoring the hot chocolate that his aunt had placed before him.

"Baymax, be a doll and start on some dishes for me. I'll be back there in a moment."

" _I do enjoy the cleaning of ceramic tableware. I will depart."_

"So," Aunt Cass said as the robot made his way to the back room. "You want to tell me why you've been staring at your phone all night?"

"I'm expecting a call."

"Well, it has to be from someone important, because I don't think you would be doing that if it was Go Go or Fred or anyone else."

Hiro took a sip of his drink. "It's not a big deal. It's just Karmi."

"Oh?"

He saw his aunt's smile and backtracked. "I invited her out with us on Friday and she was suppose to call me back to say whether she could come or not. And...she hasn't. Yet."

Aunt Cass's smirk got even wider. "Yeah, girls are weird like that. They like to leave their guys hanging for as long as they can."

"She doesn't have a guy. At least as far as I know."

"Sounds like she has at least _one_."

Hiro stared at his aunt, even more confused. "I don't understand. How would you know?"

"I'm making a joke, sweetie. You'll get it eventually," Aunt Cass said. "Now, go wash up. I'm going to have dinner ready soon."

"But..." He took a wayward glance at his phone.

"I will watch your phone for you. It's not going to go anywhere."

Hiro slowly backed out of the stall, into the back hallway, and up the stairs, all while continuing to stare out at his cell. Aunt Cass smiled as she wiped the table down. It was nice that he was branching out his social circle, especially given everything that had happen within the past year. And even though her only meeting with Karmi was in the middle of a dinner service, she seemed like a good girl.

Now, if she could just find a way to get them alone with each other…

The phone on the table began to vibrate, and an unknown number came up on the caller ID. Aunt Cass bent over to see if she could recognize it…

But she never got the chance, because the miniature elephant that was her nephew came careening down the steps and back into the cafe, almost diving for the phone.

"Not a big deal, huh?"

Hiro, phone now in his hand, could only roll his eyes at his aunt. Cass pointed upstairs, silently telling him to take the call there.

He walked back into the stairwell as he tried to catch his breath. Perhaps trying to skip half the staircase on the way down wasn't the smartest idea. He straightened up and pressed the Accept button. "Hello?"

" _Hey, sorry I missed your call. I—why are you breathing so hard?"_

"Me?" Hiro panted, trying to think of an excuse. "I was...uh...working out."

He could almost feel the disbelief pouring out the phone. _"You were working out?"  
_

"Yup, you know...I don't have just strong head muscles, you know. Gotta work out the biceps and gluteal muscles and whatever, am I right?"

" _Uh...huh."_ She was clearly not believing it, but for whatever reason she didn't pursue that avenue. _"Anyways, sorry I missed you. I just got out of the shower and noticed you called."_

Hiro tilted his head as he made his way upstairs. "You _just_ noticed? I called thirty minutes ago; what were you doing that entire time?"

* * *

_Somewhere between five and thirty minutes ago…_

Having parents that traveled all the time can be a rough time for a child. Being in a house by yourself, getting lonely, having to keep everything orderly and neat.

One of the things that _wasn't_ rough was that you could be as loud as you want and no one would bat an eye.

Yes, Karmi always called her parents to give them an update on what happened while they were away. But after that, it was fair game.

She made sure that one of the first things she got when they moved into the house was a shower radio. She loved listening to music in her off time. It was her way of relaxing after a hard day at school.

So here she was again, in the midst of another cleansing of the day's grime and grit, her phone synced up to her radio, and her sudsy hair up in a messy bun.

Oh, and her favorite song blaring in her ears.

 _I'm findin' ways to articulate_  
_The feeling I'm goin' through..._  
_I just can't say I don't love you_  
_'Cause I love you, yeah..._

She took the shampoo bottle in her hand, using it as a pretend microphone.

 _It's hard for me to communicate the thoughts that I hold,_  
_But tonight I'm goin' let you know..._  
_Let me tell the truth_  
_Baby let me tell the truth, yeah…_

Karmi turned her attention to her fogless shower mirror, speaking to it as if it was her audience.

 _You know what I'm thinkin'_  
_See it in your eyes..._  
_You hate that you want me_  
_Hate it when you cry..._  
_You're scared to be lonely_  
_'Specially in the night..._  
_I'm scared that I'll miss you_  
_Happens every time..._  
_I don't want this feeling_  
_I can't afford love..._  
_I try to find reason to pull us apart_  
_It ain't workin' 'cause you're perfect_  
_And I know that you're worth it_  
_I can't walk away..._

Karmi bent down to pick up a small charm from her basket, which looked suspiciously like a purple armored member of a certain superhero team. She held it in front of her, staring at it with all of the intensity she could muster.

 _Even though we're going through it_  
_And it makes you feel alone_  
_Just know that I would die for you..._  
_Baby I would die for you, yeah..._  
_The distance and the time between us_  
_It'll never change my mind, 'cause baby_  
_I would die for you..._  
_Baby I would die for you, yeah..._

Her mind traveled back to her impromptu meeting on the blimp with Captain Cutie, which make her smile break out even wider. She could imagine him looking deep into her eyes, adopting the same dulcet tones as the singer.

 _I'm finding ways to manipulate the feeling you're goin' through_  
_But baby girl, I'm not blamin' you..._  
_Just don't blame me too..._  
_'Cause I can't take this pain forever_  
_And you won't find no one that's better_  
_'Cause I'm right for you, babe..._  
_I think I'm right for you..._

Luckily, her mirror doubled as a digital photo album, so she scrolled to her best picture: a portrait of her Captain Cutie, standing proudly and heroically and awesomely.

 _You know what I'm thinkin'_  
_See it in your eyes..._  
_You hate that you want me_  
_Hate it when you cry..._  
_It ain't workin' 'cause you're perfect_  
_And I know that you're worth it_  
_I can't walk away..._

Karmi stared at his eyes, getting lost in them all over again.

 _Even though we're going through it_  
_And it makes you feel alone_  
_Just know that I would die for you..._  
_Baby I would die for you, yeah..._  
_The distance and the time between us_  
_It'll never change my mind, 'cause baby_  
_I would die for you..._  
_Baby I would die for you, yeah..._

She ran a finger around his digital head, wishing that she could be closer to him.

 _I would die for you_  
_I would lie for you_  
_Keep it real with you_  
_I would kill for you, my baby_  
_I'm just sayin', yeah..._  
_I would die for you_  
_I would lie for you_  
_Keep it real with you_  
_I would kill for you, my baby_  
_Na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na_

Her back hit the tiled wall, her charm still clutched close to her heart.

 _Even though we're going through it_  
_And it makes you feel alone_  
_Just know that I would die for you..._  
_Baby I would die for you, yeah..._  
_The distance and the time between us_  
_It'll never change my mind, 'cause baby_  
_I would die for you_  
_Baby I would die for you..._

Having gotten all of her energy out, Karmi cut off the water. She opened her door and stepped out, wrapping her towel around her body. She reached down for her brush…

And saw the missed call on her phone.

 _Weird,_ she thought. _Normally someone calling would cut out the music. The only reason it wouldn't is if it's an unknown-_

And then she remembered who was suppose to call her.

"Oh sh-"

* * *

"Should...I be worried that you're not answering the question?"

" _Don't worry about it, OK?"_ Karmi answered, almost a little too quickly. _"I'm calling you now."_

Having finally made it to his room, Hiro flopped himself onto his bed, phone to his ear. "So, what did your parents say?"

He heard her walking over to something and the sound of her phone being set down. _"Hang on a sec; my phone's almost dead. Let me get it into my charger."_

As he heard the phone click into some sort of stand, he saw his screen light up out of the corner of his eye.

Video call? Why on Earth would she want to do that? Was it a trap? Was she going to show him a gif of a girl crawling out of a well or something?

Nah, he could still hear her moving around. If it was a trap, he could easily just end the video stream in about a second. She'd make fun of him for being a scaredy-cat or whatever, and they'd move on. Simple.

He pressed the Accept button...and froze.

The first thing he noticed was her room: the bright colored walls, her vanity at the far end of the room, and a door that probably went out to the rest of the house shut.

Oh, I'm sorry, that's what he _would_ have noticed first had there not been something else in the frame.

Karmi herself.

She was sitting on the edge of her bed, taking a brush to her still wet hair. Her head was looking straight ahead, her hair over her right shoulder.

Oh, and she only had a towel on. That too.

It was becoming clear that she had pressed the video call button on accident and hadn't noticed. It was also clear that Hiro wasn't in any hurry to point it out.

Hiro could do nothing but stare. For a good minute, her mouth was moving but he didn't bother to hear anything she was saying.

It wasn't like he hadn't seen her in other clothing before. He had seen her in a dress at Liv Amara's commencement dinner, but this...this was something entirely different. He could feel his face getting hotter and hotter as his eyes traced the outline of her legs, going all the way up to where her towel was...

And then his brain turned back on.

If she turned even the slightest bit to her right, he was dead. Not metaphorical dead. Literally dead. Like..."triangulate his phone with GPS, come over to his house, stab him in the heart, and throw him into a grave next to Tadashi" dead.

Slowly, and with every ounce of his willpower, he poked his phone underneath his pillow, blocking his view from the screen. Karmi was still going on about something, but the pillow muffled most of the speech.

It took another thirty seconds for Karmi to realize she was having a one-sided conversation, and probably another five to look over and realize what she had done. He heard her get up off of her bed and a single beep came from the phone. Hiro took a chance and lifted his pillow. Good, the camera had been deactivated, meaning Karmi had caught her mistake. He brought the phone back up to his ear...

" _What did you see!?"_

Oh good, it's not like he needed that eardrum or anything. "What do you mean?" Hiro said, trying to keep his voice steady.

" _Wait. You didn't see anything?"_

He rubbed the inside of his ringing ear. "Am I suppose to be seeing something?"

His feigned confusion seemed to have worked, because Karmi took a second before speaking again. _"If I find out that you-"  
_

"Karmi, I literally have no idea what you're talking about."

Hiro did literally know what she was talking about. But in the interest of keeping any sharp objects out of his chest cavity, he played dumb.

"... _Anyways, what's the plan for Friday?"  
_

"Oh, so you are coming, then?" Hiro asked quickly.

" _I already said I was coming, Genius Boy,"_ Karmi retorted. _"Were you not paying attention to anything I was saying?"_

No, he hadn't. For...reasons. "I just wanted to make sure. You know, just in case you wuss out and hide in your lab or something."

" _My parents actually wanted me to go out. I was surprised."_ A loud clunk rang out, presumably her brush being set down. Her voice started getting softer as she was walking across her room. _"They think I'm becoming a hermit."_

"Well, you are. Some fresh air never hurt anyone."

" _You clearly don't know about the thousands of airborne pathogens you can get by breathing that air."_

"I don't. And I don't want to," Hiro said. "But the plan is to leave straight from school, probably a little earlier than normal. Wasabi can drive us there, we'll play some games, and then we'll go get something to eat afterward. Do you have a preference on where we go for food?"

_"Nope."_

"Yeah, you'll probably regret saying that."

" _What?"_

"Nothing." Hiro got up from his bed and made his way back downstairs. "I have to go eat dinner. I'll come and get you when we're getting ready to leave, OK?"

" _Sounds fine."_

"Have a good night."

Another pause, and Karmi's voice came much clearer over the line. _"Good night."_

Hiro hung up and let out a shaky sigh. Man, if all conversations with Karmi were going to be like this, maybe he should just quit while he was ahead.

He walked back into the cafe to see Aunt Cass in the center of the room with a giant bucket on the table. Seeing him walk in, Aunt Cass took her seat. "Hey, how'd it go?"

"Fine." Hiro sat down across from her. "She's coming out with us."

"I'm assuming that's what you wanted."

"Yeah."

"Well, hopefully she'll have a good time with you guys."

He took a look at the bucket in between them. "What are we having?"

"Fried chicken." Aunt Cass took two pieces out and offered them to Hiro. "Leg or thigh?"

The flashback to the video call caused Hiro's cheeks to flare up again. "Ummmm…."

"What?" She waved the drumstick absentmindedly around in the air. "Was it something I said?"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** (By the way, that end sequence came to me at about two in the morning and made me laugh so loud it woke my family up. Just thought I'd share that.)

So...now you know that this chapter took so dang long. Musical interludes don't come cheap, you know.

As I was thinking about stuff to put in this part, I remember what I wrote back at the last chapter of **Clean Up** , with the briefest mentions of the Weeknd. I know that lyrics in stories are generally frowned upon on , but I couldn't pass this opportunity up. Besides, if _any_ song reminds me of Karmi's near obsessiveness with her Captain Cutie...it would be "Die For You".

A little over the top? Maybe. But isn't Karmi's obsession a little over the top too? Just sayin'.

And veterans of my fanfiction would know that this is probably not the most risque thing I've written. As for the newer people? Go over to my profile over at FF.net or DevArt and read **Realize**. Preferably read all of it, but specifically read Chapter 2 and 3. Then get back to me.

My apologies for this going up a little later than normal. I actually wasn't sure whether I wanted to put the entire song in or just part of it. Between that and the phone conversation, the chapter ended up being much longer than I anticipated. And I like long chapters more than a lot of people, so there's that.

The next chapter will finally have our heroes brave the bowling alley with Karmi. The chapter title will probably give away some of the contents, but I'm excited to get it out.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.


	4. Bench Work

_**Disclaimer:** Big Hero 6 is owned by Disney Animation. Also, this chapter will have 100% less shower karaoke in it. I'll leave that up to you as to whether that's a bad or good thing._

* * *

_**Chapter 4 – Bench Work** _

Friday nights in San Fransokyo were always a predicament. The young wanted to go out and have a good time; the not-so-young wanted to stay in and catch up on what they couldn't during the week.

For the Big Hero 6 team, it would involve finishing up their week's work and going on patrol for what seemed like the umpteenth time. A Friday night without any of that? It was a breath of fresh air.

Of course now, they had another person to contend with: Karmi, who Hiro had invited at the behest of everyone else. It took a bit, but she had accepted his invitation.

Now, let's catch up with the gang and see what's happening with them.

"Wasabi, it's going to be night time before we get there! Can you get a move on already?"

"Go Go, we will get there with plenty of time to spare. Hold your horses."

"I think a horse would get us there faster at this rate."

Oh good, an argument. What else is new?

The students were in Wasabi's car, driving to the north side of town. Even though it was still early in the evening, traffic was already starting to pile up, much to the annoyance of one of the occupants of the car.

"Go Go, it's fine. Just relax and enjoy the scenery," Honey Lemon suggested.

The Korean turned to her immediate right as a red car drove by, two toddlers screaming their heads off in the backseat. "I'd rather not."

Hiro smirked from between the two girls. "You're just jealous that you're not navigating."

"I would've gotten us there faster."

"Well, it's not up to you." Wasabi flourished his hand at the person sitting next to him. "My new partner is doing just fine."

Karmi blinked rapidly, confused. "I...don't think I've actually done anything yet."

"You've kept me focused on the road. And most importantly, you haven't used the remote to make us break any speed limit laws."

"The remote?"

Wasabi tapped the front of the glove compartment, which popped open to reveal a black and yellow box. "See? Remote. The one that Go Go's _not allowed to touch anymore._ "

"Spoilsport," Go Go smirked.

"I'm just confused as to why Karmi's in the front seat. I called 'shotgun' right before we set out," Hiro said.

"We weren't in sight of the car, which we all know is in the rules," Wasabi replied. "Plus, the driver overrode you. Because Karmi is our special guest, she gets to be the navigator for tonight."

"Which gives _us_ the opportunity to do this."

Hiro turned to Honey Lemon, wanting to know more about what she meant, but she already had an index finger pointed toward his midsection.

"No! _Don't_. I'm very ticklish there-"

"Oh, that was the wrong thing to say."

Before Karmi could react, a clear partition came up from between them, blocking the sound of Hiro being relentlessly tickled by both Honey Lemon and Go Go.

"We'll let the kids expend some energy for a little bit," Wasabi said, taking his finger off one of the center console buttons.

"Can they breathe back there?"

He shrugged. "Don't worry; it's plexiglass. Besides, they can open a window." He glanced at his companion in the front. "Anyways, we're glad that you were able to make it out tonight. Hiro was mentioning to us how you weren't sure about coming."

"Oh really?" Karmi glanced behind him at the kid genius, who was still getting tickled by his two friends. "What did he say?"

"Just that you had to clear something up with your parents being out of town. He was excited that you were able to come."

"Was he now?"

"Yup. Wouldn't stop talking about it yesterday."

Karmi wasn't sure how to take that. Best just to leave it alone, she figured. "Where's your other friend at? Fred, was it?"

"Oh, him?" Wasabi said. "He went ahead to get some lanes set aside for us. It's Friday, after all; I'm sure it's going to be busy there."

"And the mechanical snowman?"

"Oh, Baymax? I'm not actually sure." Wasabi lowered the partition. "Yo, Hiro, what's Baymax up to tonight?"

Hiro's face was still flushed from before, so it took him a second to speak. "He's helping Aunt Cass with some stuff. Couldn't tell you what, though."

* * *

"And that's how you make latte art." Aunt Cass finished off her foam with a flourish, handing it off to her customer. "You wanna give it a shot, Baymax?"

" _I have downloaded instructions on how to perform latte and cappuccino art. I shall attempt a simple heart."_

The robot gingerly took the wand from her hand and began to etch in a brand new cup. After a few seconds, he stopped and turned to her. _"Would you like to inspect my effort?"_

She bent over the cup, her eyebrow raised. "Err...what exactly did you search for when you got those instructions?"

_"My search was on the art of latte etching, although I did specifically search for drawings that were naturally safe for work. I used the acronym that is commonly used for that, which are the letters NSF-"  
_

"Baymax, that's not what that means!"

* * *

"...Hopefully he behaves himself until I get back."

The rest of the drive was rather uneventful, with the sole exception of Go Go attempting to reach around Karmi to get the remote. Hiro was quick enough to hold her back, but as they pulled up to the parking lot of the bowling alley, he was busy nursing several red blotches on his arms.

"See, I told you we would get there."

Hiro rubbed his arms, wincing in pain. "I still don't understand how you were able to scratch me _through_ my sweatshirt."

Go Go opened her door and stepped out, not answering.

Karmi also exited the car, taking in the giant neon sign in front of her. It featured a large man with a very small pointed head, dressed with a red coat, purple undershirt, a green tie, and white pants. The animatronic arm was lazily waving up and down. She peered closer at the name below it. "Pinhead Pierre's?"

"Yup. One of the last old school bowling alleys in the country," Hiro explained as he walked up next to her. "I think the owner named it after a cartoon from his childhood or something."

"I like it because they have the best nachos on this side of town," Go Go added.

"Yeah, it's one of the few things that you agree with Fred about," Wasabi said. He had a large rolling black tote beside him as they made their way to the front.

"What's in there?" Karmi asked.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. You're gonna love it."

As the group stepped in through the entrance, Karmi was suddenly greeted with a sudden wave of noises, smells, and bright lights. Once her senses came back to normal human levels, she took a look around. On her left was a full bar with a couple wooden tables past that filled with people dining in. Past _that_ were a handful of arcades, with two young kids currently occupying their time shooting zombies with plastic guns. Four teenagers were shooting pool at the table in front of that.

On her right were more tables and chairs, made with varying colors of leather. The shoe rental attendant at the counter had a line of patrons rapidly pointing at the wall behind him.

And to top all of it off, the twenty or so lanes in front of her, most of which were occupied already. A couple at the very end on the right were open, and were currently occupied by...

"Fred! There he is!"

As Go Go, Honey Lemon, and Wasabi went off to meet their friend, Hiro took a quick glance at his companion, who was still a little awestruck by everything she was taking in. He snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Earth to Karmi. Come in, Karmi."

She shook her head to get the cobwebs out. "Sorry, I just wasn't expecting...all of this."

"Yeah, Wasabi told me they've been revamping this place since I've been here last. _That_ (he pointed behind him at the bar) was definitely not there before. They also have a dance floor that got so popular they had to move it next door." As they moved to join the others, he nodded his head over to an opening covered by a black cloth that Karmi hadn't noticed before. "They have DJs in there almost every night."

"They also do karaoke on Saturdays, too." Honey Lemon added, a multitude of shoes at her feet. "I heard that you're pretty good at it."

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

"Tadashi told me a long time ago about one time that you came here with him and did a karaoke night. He showed us the video. You were great!"

Karmi, shocked, turned onto Hiro, but he already had his hand up ready to cut her off. "No. Not in a million years."

"Hiro, I will leave you alone for the entirety of your college career if you let me see that video."

"Tempting...but no." He took his bowling shoes and started putting them on. "That video's been scrubbed from existence. I found it and deleted it off the face of this earth."

"Aww, that's disappointing."

"Let's face it, Go Go; you were just going to use it for blackmail purposes."

"Hiro, I am offended," the Korean retorted, looking over the balls on the rack. "Am I not a friend who would know better than to use some trivial belonging to make fun of you?"

"...No."

Karmi was so focused on the argument that she didn't notice a pair of shoes being held in front of her. She looked over to see Honey Lemon on the other end. "Are these the right size?"

"Definitely."

She took them and peered inside one of them. "How do you know I wear a size seven?"

"I'm sort of a clothes person." Honey Lemon pointed down at Karmi's black shoes. "I can usually tell the size just by looking at them."

"Sort of?" Fred questioned. "Don't you run your own online store?"

"Yeah...I guess it's sort of my job to know." Honey Lemon scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Especially when people are paying money for it."

"Hold on, everyone!"

The group looked up to see Fred dramatically pose in front of them. "It's time for Wasabi to show us all of his fancy bowling stuff."

"Oh, stop it." Wasabi said. "I only have the ball this time. And the shoes. And the gloves."

"So literally everything."

Ignoring Fred, he reached into his tote and pulled out his own bowling ball. It was a very dark green and polished to a fine sheen. Holding it out in front of him like a trophy, the light bounced off of it in every single direction.

"It's so...shiny," Hiro said.

"I think my reflection can see its reflection in _my_ eyes," Karmi added.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Wasabi rubbed it lovingly. "A perfect thirteen and a half pounds, handsomely crafted for precision aiming and control. It's a masterpiece."

Go Go set her yellow ball down on the return, having ignored Wasabi's glorious unveiling. "Yeah, you say that every time we come here. You need to come up with a new spiel."

Karmi, finished with her shoes, glanced up at the TV screen, adorned with a graphic white X. Just past it was what appeared to be a lighter shade of white paint and a couple of small 2x4s. It was definitely out of place for this establishment. She leaned toward Honey Lemon, who was busy trying to chose her own ball. "Um...what happened up there?"

She followed her gaze up to the ceiling and rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't even believe me if I told you."

"Look," Fred interjected, obviously overhearing their conversation. "We can assign blame and point fingers, but the important thing is that we're all together and going to have fun!"

"It was totally him," Go Go said.

"Hey!"

"Fred, your over-excitement is what got us banned from here to start."

"Wait." Karmi pointed a finger at Fred. " _You're_ the reason why there's no bowling after the semester anymore?"

"Again, blame is such a harsh word. I was just trying to show everyone how it's done."

"Freddie, the only reason why we're even allowed back here is because you gave a generous donation to the company."

"And the plaque. Don't forget the plaque." Fred pointed behind him at the stationary adorning his name.

Karmi sat back on the couch, not sure what to make of the conversation. She turned to Hiro next to her. "Your friends are...interesting."

"You mean weird, right?" He shrugged her off as got up to enter his name into the console. "We haven't even gotten to anything ridiculous yet. Just give it a little time."

"Alright, everyone!" Wasabi waved to get everyone's attention. "We have two lanes, so I think we'll split it three and three. Karmi, how good are you at bowling?"

"I...actually have never played before."

"Not a problem. I'll put you with Hiro and Honey Lemon."

"Don't worry about it, Karmi." Honey Lemon took a seat next to Karmi on the couch. "Any time I can roll the ball down and get even one pin, it's a victory." She put her hand over her mouth to whisper to her. "Freddie's not that bad once he gets his energy under control, Go Go's pretty good, and Wasabi's the best out of all of us."

"And what about you, Genius Boy?"

"Me?" Hiro turned from the console. "I'm OK. I'll be better once we get the bumpers up."

"No can do, buddy," Freddy said from the other lane. "You're a big deal college student now! We don't do bumpers here."

"Oh, crap."

Karmi walked up to Hiro, a smile growing on her face. "What's wrong? Worried all of that working out won't help you here?"

"You know what? I don't need bumpers." Hiro got up and went over the ball rack, picking up the red one. "Just watch this." He walked up to the lane and stared down it, trying to concentrate.

"Watching."

Hiro paused and turned to his left, where he saw Karmi right next to him. "Hey." He waved his hand at her. "Back up a little. You're not suppose to be up here, anyway."

Karmi, still grinning, took a small step backward. "There, happy now?"

"Nope, but you get to be front and center for this strike."

"Oh, really?" She bent forward as she lowered her voice. "Are you going to show me how it's done?"

"Exactly. Now be quiet." Hiro brought the ball up to his face, his stare all the more apparent.

Unbeknownst to him, however, Karmi's voice was back in his ear. "Oh yeah. Show me how a _big..."_

Her voice went lower still.

" _Strong..."_

And closer.

" _Man_ does it."

 _Aaaand_ into the gutter it went.

Hiro whirled around to face his classmate, who only winked at him in response as she made her way back to the couch. Go Go, who had her own yellow ball in her hands, watched her walk off, her own smile threatening to overtake Karmi's.

"Ohhh, I like her already."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Two things I've learned.

One, apparently there are rules to calling shotgun.

Two, any time I can throw a Phineas and Ferb reference into a story, I smile inside. And on the outside.

By the way, don't search for "latte art NSFW" into any search engine whatsoever, even in Incognito. My browser took the bullet so you don't have to. Just...trust me on it.

The bowling alley I've produced in my head is a mix of one that I went to when I was a kid and Lucky Strike, a company that has an alley in DC and is the bomb. Find one near you and go to it. You won't be disappointed.

My apologies if this chapter seemed a little light on the action. I had some difficulty trying to figure out when this chapter was going to end and when the next one began. All of the actual bowling action should be in the next chapter.

As well as all of the extracurricular stuff as well. Don't want to give away too much, but let's say it involves some...side bets. A "Pot Game", if you will.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.


	5. Pot Game

_**Disclaimer:** Big Hero 6 is owned by Disney Animation. I apparently don't own any caffeine to help me stay up late at night. Need to go to the store and get some energy drinks._

* * *

_**Chapter 5 – Pot Game** _

A couple of hours had passed since the arrival of the gang (plus Karmi) at the bowling alley. Plenty of balls had been rolled and pins had been knocked down with no damage done to the ceiling or walls (yet). All in all, a fair evening so far.

Hiro was in one of the back tables, taking a quick break from the games to chow down on some nachos. His friends had been right; this place did have the best nachos in town. It sure didn't hurt that they had a copious amount of pork and cheese sauce on them. The entire plate would be gone if he wasn't careful.

He took a quick glance over at Karmi, who was deep in conversation with Honey Lemon over who knows what. It had taken a while, but it seemed like she was actually enjoying herself.

It hadn't started off that way. After her aside with him at the first frame, Karmi had quickly found herself struggling to catch up. Granted, none of them were terrific at the game (Wasabi notwithstanding), but at least they had all been here before. Karmi, on the other hand, was a newbie, and that was something that didn't sit well with her.

After one full game where she ended up last, she had grown frustrated with herself. Sitting next to her was also a curse because he had a front row view of everything. Crossing her arms in anger, heavily sighing, whipping her hair around and hitting him in the face.

Yeah, it definitely didn't start out all sunshine and rainbows.

Once that game was done, they had taken a break to go get some water and snacks. He had seen Fred pull her aside, away from everyone else, and whisper a few things to her. Karmi hadn't verbally responded, just listening and nodding her head. At the end, he patted her head, said one last thing he couldn't distinguish, and head back toward the rest of the group.

It was weird to see Fred of all people talk to Karmi since they hadn't interacted with each other so far, but whatever he had said to her, it appeared to brighten her mood considerably. By the time they had retreated back to the lanes, there was no longer a proverbial raincloud over her head.

"You good?" he had asked, taking his seat.

Karmi wiped her eyes and straightened up, not looking at him. "Yeah...I think I'm good."

Hiro nodded, not wanting to press the issue.

The games afterward were much better. After a little bit of coaching from Wasabi and Go Go, she was at least consistently knocking down the majority of the pins. She wasn't going to join a league anytime soon, but at least she was having fun now.

Hiro took another bite as Go Go walked back to the other two girls, pointing over to Fred and Wasabi. Karmi giggled at whatever she had said...and noticed Hiro.

Oh geez.

He quickly turned away. He had already gotten in trouble once for staring at her (by Aunt Cass at _Gramercy_ ); he wasn't going to run the risk again.

"You could at least pretend to not stare at me, Genius Boy."

He snapped around to see her already at the table. "I was just making sure you were OK."

"I'm fine."

Hiro glanced at Fred, who was now attempting to balance Wasabi's bowling ball on his foot to no avail. "What did he say to you earlier?"

Karmi followed his gaze and realized who he was talking about. "Stuff."

"Way to be specific."

"Look, he just...he said that nobody cares that I'm doing bad, and to just relax a little. And that at least I haven't put a hole in the ceiling like he did."

"You _do_ have that going for you, I guess." He poked the plate over to her. "Want any, since I know you're going to ask?"

Karmi raised an eyebrow at him.

"...Oh yeah. The whole pork thing."

"I have the stuffed mushrooms earlier, so I'm good," Karmi said. "And by the way, it's not a 'thing', doofus. It's called religion."

"I have someone I worship, too," Hiro said, taking another bite. "His name is Junkicus Foodicus."

Karmi shook her head, a small smile on her face. "You're weird."

"And you're just learning this now?"

"Yo!"

The two turned back toward the lanes to see Go Go waving them down. "It's almost your turn, Karmi."

Having finished his food (so much for not eathing all of it), Hiro walked with Karmi back to the group. Fred and Wasabi were just about done with their game, with Hiro jumping in with them. They found that switching up the groups kept things a little more fair, which is why the girls and boys were currently in separate lanes.

"So...anyone want to put a bet on this one?" Fred held the ball out in front of him.

Hiro grinned. One of the things he had learned early in the night was that when his friends came to the alley with the other students, they would like to place little wagers throughout the game. It was nothing too serious; a dollar here, a non-dominant hand roll there. Hiro had already won a few bucks tonight. It would've been more, but Wasabi was the one with the hot hand, bleeding everyone dry.

Speaking of hot, it was starting to get a little uncomfortable inside. Lots of people and physical movement would do that to a person. Eating all of those jalapenos probably wasn't the best idea either. He started to unzip his hoodie…

And then he got an idea. Smiling to himself, he made a motion over to the group of girls.

"Hey, Karmi. I got a bet for you."

"Oh really?" She turned to face him. "You want to lose money?"

"Nah, it's not money this time." He walked over to their lane and pointed down at the pins. "If you don't knock down at least nine pins this round...you have to wear my hoodie for the rest of your game."

"Ooooh!"

Honey Lemon's interjection didn't seem to help the matter. "Why would I wear your disgusting sweatshirt?"

"Hey, I washed this, like, two days ago."

Karmi rolled her eyes at him. "Fine, whatever. Watch me knock all of them down." She reared back and threw her ball down the lane, managing to knock down eight.

"Oooh, that's rough. The dreaded seven-ten split," Hiro said, looking up at the screen. "But you only have to hit one."

She glared at him as her ball came back up the return. She threw it again, almost angrily...and the ball went into the gutter.

"I'm just going to set this right here." Hiro folded his hoodie and set it down between Go Go and Honey Lemon, who were silently giggling. "You have fun with that."

"That's not fair, Hiro," Honey Lemon interjected. "We're only on the first frame; at least change it to just the next one."

"Fine by me." He took his place back next to Wasabi. "I just want to see her wear it."

He was playing with fire, for sure. Karmi had just gotten out of her funk and was now giving him the death stare, but he didn't care. It was just a sweatshirt. How bad could it be?

"Yo, Fred! At least _try_ to not cause trouble today!"

Hiro turned his head to see Wasabi up with Fred, who had somehow managed to get his ball to hop over to the next lane. Yup, it definitely was a sight to behold.

It was _such_ a sight to behold, in fact, that he never saw what was coming at his head.

WOMPF!

It smacked him right in the side of his face, obscuring his vision. "Wha?"

He could hear the girls laugh at him from across the lane as he struggled to get the clothing off of his head. After a moment, he tore it off, only to find out what it was.

Karmi's sweater.

Wait. If he was holding this, then what was she-

Hiro's cheeks grew hot and his mind started to race with the possibilities of what she had on underneath. Unfortunately, he never got the chance, because by the time he looked up, the zipper head was almost up to the bottom of her neck, obscuring whatever was underneath it. She sat back in the couch and threw the hood over her head, her ponytail jutting out from behind her. The smirk on her face was nothing short of pure evil.

"You like what you see, Genius Boy?"

Hiro stared back at her. He wasn't sure whose face was redder: his, hers...or Go Go's, who was desperately trying to hold in her laughter at the situation.

"Well, this seemed to backfire a little bit."

"Hey, I got one for you!" Karmi pointed over at him. "If you don't get a strike on your next shot, you have to lick Wasabi's bowling ball!"

"Wait, what?"

"I am _not_ doing that!" Hiro yelled, ignoring Wasabi's confusion. "That's against the rules!"

"Rules?"

He only nodded to his left, where Wasabi proceeded to pull out a long sheet of parchment. Donning a pair of glasses, he scrolled down the list. "You know, technically that could be listed under 'Bodily Harm', but it's not listed on here. I'm still vetoing it, though."

Karmi didn't seem particularly worried about it, instead choosing to slink further into the couch. Hiro took the opportunity to claim victory. "I'll just hang on to your sweater until you have to switch, OK?"

He couldn't hear her response; he could only see her move her mouth in a mocking manner. Honey Lemon covered her own mouth with her hand, stifling her laughter.

"Hey, what did she say?"

"Oh, nothing."

"I don't believe you for a second."

" _Look at me, I'm Hiro and I'm a big silly robotics major who's oblivious about everything."_

OK, _now_ he heard it.

"Oh, you wanna play this game?" Hiro grabbed the previously discarded sweater, throwing it over his head. It didn't matter that it was about two sizes too big; it would do for now.

" _Do you know who I am?"_ He raised the pitch of his voice, throwing his imaginary ponytail over his shoulder. _"My name is Karmi, and I'm a know-it-all biotech major who talks to Petri dishes in her spare time."_

Anyone on the outside looking in would be very confused by a girl wearing a tight blue hoodie and a boy wearing a wool sweater doubling as a poncho, but to the other four occupants of the group, it was the funniest thing in the world.

Well...three. While Honey Lemon was still smiling, she poked Go Go in the middle of her chortling. "Go Go, I think you might need to stop this."

She nodded, getting up from her seat to step between the two. "Now now, kids, let's all calm down before you guys say something you're gonna regret. We're here to have fun, right?"

"She started it."

" _Me?"_ Karmi retorted. "You were the one who made the bet!"

"How was I suppose to know that you'd actually do it?"

She shook her head, trying to comprehend his ridiculousness. "Apologize!"

"No, you!"

Go Go looked from one teen to the next, electricity beginning to spark between the two glaring at each other. "Yeah, I got nothing."

"I know what we can do!" Fred came in between them, a finger pointed in the air. "A bowling one-on-one to the _death!_ "

"How about something a little less drastic, Freddie?" Honey Lemon said.

"Here's what we'll do."

Everyone turned to Hiro, who had backed off and rubbed his hands together. "Wipe the board. One last game. Boys vs. girls. Winner gets an apology. Loser has to buy the winners dinner!"

"Oh, you are on, Genius Boy!"

"Then it is decided!" Fred held up a pretend microphone, waving towards the two groups. "Wasabi, yours truly, and Hiro! _Versus!_ Go Go, Honey Lemon, and Karmi! May the best team win!"

* * *

The next twenty minutes was the most concentrated that the group had every been. They had agreed upon taking turns in each frame, with Go Go and Wasabi going first, Fred and Honey Lemon going second, and Hiro and Karmi following them.

The first time Karmi (back in her own clothing) went up to bowl, she was actually able to knock down all of her pins on the first try. Watching the red X appear on her screen immediately followed by her blowing a loud raspberry in his direction was not going to be the highlight of his night, Hiro thought.

His was going up right after her and getting his own strike. Staring at her and lightly dusting off his shoulder was only the icing on the cake.

At last, it was the end. With only one frame left, and several back and forths between the boys and the girls, the score was tied. It was the wild card round, and the boys naturally chose Karmi to bowl. She had the ball up to her face, extremely focused on the singular pin she needed to knock down. Go Go and Honey Lemon were grasping each other's hands while the boys were busy deploying their usual distraction tactic of just staring wide-eyed at whoever was up.

She threw the ball down the lane, but the unexpected turn of her wrist caused the ball to curl over to the left, missing the pin entirely.

Karmi turned to return to her seat, throwing her body down rather dramatically. She seemed oblivious to the praise the other two were giving her as she crossed her arms again.

Having been chosen already, Hiro made his way up to the approach with his ball. It was clear that Karmi was very upset with herself. He couldn't blame her. She was just as competitive as he was, if not more. If the situation was reversed, he would probably be doing the same.

His first shot ran smack into the pins, but only the center ones. After the last one fell, he was left with a precarious situation.

The dreaded seven-ten split. Just like Karmi had before.

"Hey, that's fine!" Wasabi said. "You only have to get one to tie. And a .7% chance to get one of the hardest shots in the game to win."

"Thanks for the reminder," Hiro muttered under his breath.

He grabbed his returned ball and stepped up. No pressure at all, right? Then why was his mind clouded all of a sudden?

Hiro glanced back at Karmi, who wasn't even looking at him. He could feel the frustration radiate off of her body, her eyes almost in tears.

He took a deep breath and focused back down the lane. He knew what he had to do. Nothing was going to change his mind.

He reared back and sent the ball down the lane.

Yup...it was heading exactly where he wanted.

* * *

_One car trip later…_

It was a busy night at Noodle Burger, and the gang, not satiated by the bar food, became a part of the crowd at their favorite place to grab some grub. Karmi had not been there before, so it took a bit for Fred to explain the intricacies of the menu, and about two seconds for Go Go to smack him with a physical one and hand it to her.

Having ordered and now occupying Fred's special booth, the six were now approached by the waitress, who was precariously balancing a giant tray.

"I got yours, sir," she started, passing Fred's basket in front of him. "Now you guys will need to help me with the rest. I got a double Noodle Burger with bacon and ketchup."

Hiro raised his hand.

"Standard Noodle Burger with all of the fixings on the side?"

"That would be me," Wasabi said.

"Chicken Noodle Burger, one with extra lettuce and one with extra sriracha sauce?"

Honey Lemon grabbed her and Karmi's food from her.

"And the Fish Noodle Burger with the rice patty?"

"Finally. I'm starving."

"Hope y'all enjoy!"

"Weird that they're actually using humans now," Fred whispered as the waitress walked off. "I was partial to Noodle Burger Boy."

"You mean the killer robot that terrorized the city?" Wasabi asked as he started constructing his burger. "Yeah, I _totally_ want that back here."

"But he had stickers."

"Fred, they literally had stickers at the door when we walked in."

"Yeah, but it's not the same, Honey Lemon."

Hiro hadn't touched his burger yet, instead opting to watch Karmi stare at Fred's plate. "What's up?"

"That," Karmi pointed out the mountain of green on Fred's burger, "is _way_ too many pickles."

He was just about to interject with something about the restaurant having memorized Fred's order by heart when Go Go tapped the side of her soda cup with her finger, garnering the attention of the gang.

"Isn't it great that we're all here together as friends, just relaxing and enjoying each other's company? Not fighting or ridiculing each other. Isn't it just _wonderful_?"

Wasabi looked up from balancing his lettuce on his patty. "I don't like the way this is going."

"You know what, Go Go? I _do_." Honey Lemon was now joining in, her voice uncharacteristically high. "I also enjoy sitting down and eating some _delicious_ food with everyone. Wouldn't you agree, Karmi?"

"I do!" Karmi said, looking Hiro straight in the eyes. "I especially love it because it's _free._ "

"... _Aaaand_ there it is."

"For the record, I blame Hiro."

The teen genius threw his hands up in the air. "At any point in time, Fred, you could've knocked down one more pin. But no, you had to do trick shots the entire time."

"I had to do it! I had everyone watching me!"

Karmi softly giggled. Yes, it had been a great night, and not having to pay a single thing for her victory was all the more sweeter. It seemed only fitting that she rub it in one more time. "Hey, Genius Boy, do you remember when you said-"

She cut herself off, seeing Hiro stare off underneath the table. "Hey, you OK over there?"

Hiro said nothing, slowly lifting his hands to reveal...Wasabi's bowling ball, perfectly clean and shining after a hard night's use.

"Yo!" Wasabi wheeled his head around to his car parked out side and back again. "Where did you get the ball from?"

Hiro stared at it, not answering.

And that's when Karmi remembered the bet she made in jest.

"Hiro, we're not at the bowling alley anymore. We already said you don't have to do it."

He stayed silent, still transfixed in his reflection.

"Oh no, he's actually going to do it."

"Do it, Hiro!" Fred shouted, walling off Wasabi's body with his own. "Do it for the kids!"

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This is, without a doubt, one of the weirdest cliffhangers I've written for a story. "Will Hiro lick the ball?" News at eleven.

Oh, and what does Karmi wear underneath her sweater? Mystery of the universe, I guess. I would like to think she just has a full orange dress she wears and you can only see the skirt because of her turtleneck. Or maybe it's just a regular shirt. Meh, who knows?

I'm going to reiterate this again: I _really_ need to learn how to write stuff earlier in the week. The bulk of this was writing in the middle of the night without any caffeine whatsoever, so if there are any spelling or grammar errors, apologies in advance. I'll get around to fixing them.

I hope that everyone who's read this has enjoyed it so far, because we are coming to the end. But no story would be complete without a heart-to-heart with our two favorite teen geniuses, am I right? And to do that, we're going to have to go out on top.

The rooftop, that is.

What does that mean? Well, you're just going to have to find out when the finale to **Foundation** comes out next week! As always, read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.


	6. Approach

_**Disclaimer:** Big Hero 6 is owned by Disney Animation. I hope you grabbed that popcorn, because I think you'll need it.  
_

* * *

_**Chapter 6 – Approach** _

"You know, now that I'm thinking about it, you actually won that bet against Karmi, so you didn't actually _have_ to lick Wasabi's bowling ball."

"Go Go, you're about thirty minutes too late." Hiro rolled his tongue in his mouth. "In a related question, does anyone else feel lightheaded?"

The group was on their way to drop Hiro and Karmi off at his house. Bellies full and arms tired, the night that was so young before was now almost over. Everyone was in their positions from the ride to the alley, trying to loosen up their sore muscles.

"Or have the taste of copper in their mouth?"

And in Hiro's case, apparently figure out why his head and everything in it was ailing him.

"You're lucky I cleaned that ball before we left Pierre's, Hiro," Wasabi chided. "Otherwise you'd have all sorts of crud in your mouth. You're also lucky it's getting cleaned again."

"Really. By who?"

As if on cue the center part of the backseat came down, squashing Hiro into his seat.

"That would be me, buddy!" Fred replied, taking a washcloth to Wasabi's bowling ball. "I'll have this thing shiny in no time."

"Umm...I don't think Hiro can breathe, Freddie," Honey Lemon said.

"Of course he can, can't you-"

Hiro snapped his back straight, closing off Fred back into the trunk with a thud. "Yes, I get it. It was dumb. Write it off the bucket list."

Karmi didn't chime in, instead deciding to stare out the window and watch the other cars go by. The night had been excellent, and she didn't want it to end. Nevertheless, she had already received a text from her parents asking her when she would be ready. Her thumb was still over the digital letters, hesitant to answer them back.

"Well, we're here." Wasabi stopped the car, and Karmi slowly got out. Hiro had to climb over Go Go on his right to exit, who decided to help with a polite shove to the back.

"So..." Wasabi leaned his head out of the window at Karmi. "I would consider this a successful night. Nobody got hurt...except for Hiro's pride, I guess."

Hiro rubbed his now sore back, not answering.

"And maybe his spine."

She smiled. "I...I had a really good time tonight. Thanks for everything."

"Don't mention it." Wasabi said. "I think we all needed a little bit of a break. Glad you could come along." He glanced over at Hiro, still wincing in pain. He leaned forward and cupped his hand over his mouth. "Try not to be too rough on him, OK?"

Karmi nodded as Wasabi drove off, the rest of the gang waving them goodbye (including an extra arm coming from the trunk). As they rounded the corner, she turned to face Hiro, who was busy trying to fish something out of his pocket. She looked up to see where they were at...

"Wait a minute."

"What?" Hiro asked.

"I thought you said we were going to your house."

"We are." His eyes darted back between the front door and her. "We're here."

"Wait, you live _here_?"

"...Yeah."

Karmi looked up at the Maneki-Neko cat sitting on the awning, silently staring down at them. "...Here?"

"Why else would I have a key here?" Hiro said, opening the door with a swing.

...Well, she didn't have an answer to that. She stepped through the open door and saw his aunt behind the counter and a notepad in front of her, making marks on whatever she was writing.

"Hey, Hiro! How was your night?"

Hiro gave a heavy cough. "Well, it's not over yet. We have company."

She looked up from her notes and saw the new arrival. "Oh! Hello there, Karmi!" She came out from behind the counter as she wiped her hands on her apron. "Fancy meeting you somewhere normal for a change."

"Um...hello, Ms. Hamada."

"Pfft! No need for the formal stuff. Ms. Hamada is my mom." She waved off the teen with her hand. "The name's Aunt Cass."

"OK...Ms. Cass."

Aunt Cass stared at her for a second, then laughed. "Close enough, I guess." She turned to her nephew, who was looking nervously between the two of them. "You guys hungry or anything? I still have to clean up a little before closing up for the night if you want anything."

"We ate a little bit ago, so I'm not." Hiro sat down at one of the empty tables, kicking his feet up on a different chair. "Although I could go for some hot chocolate right now."

"Only if you get your feet down." As Hiro sheepishly put his feet back on the ground, she turned to Karmi. "What about you, sweetie?"

She stifled a yawn before responding. "If it's not too much trouble, I could go for some chai tea."

"I'll have to check to see if I have any." She started rummaging through her cabinets. "In the meantime, it's such a nice night out there. You guys should go to the table outside."

Hiro glanced out the front window. "Aunt Cass, you don't _have_ a table outside."

"Oh, yes I do."

The two teen geniuses tilted their heads simultaneously, confused.

* * *

Hiro had almost completely forgotten there was a patio table up on the roof. It mainly housed the garden and herbs that Aunt Cass used for some of the pastries for the cafe. But now, as he opened the stairwell door for Karmi to walk through, he had a growing suspicion as to why she had suggested it.

"Wow." Karmi twirled on the spot, staring off into the night sky. "It's so beautiful up here."

He had to admit; the stars were shining much brighter now that they were a good distance away from the city. Not a cloud was in the sky as the moon continued its lazy ascent.

"I don't have anything like this at my house. The window in my room faces a giant tree, so I don't have any view. But this...you're so lucky."

Hiro shrugged. "I don't really come up here that much. It's mostly Aunt Cass's space. I got the garage; she got this."

"Which is good, because I don't want your contraptions collapsing through three floors."

Aunt Cass took the opportunity to appear again, holding two disposable coffee cups. "Let me know if these are OK," she added as she handed it off to Karmi.

She took a sip and nodded. "It's perfect; thank you." Karmi opened her purse and reached in for her wallet. "What do I owe you for the-"

"Oh no no no." Aunt Cass waved her off again. "You're a friend of Hiro's. Friends of Hiro don't pay here."

"Umm...thanks."

"You're welcome, sweetie." She walked over to the roof door. "By the way, Hiro, tomorrow we need to talk about what websites Baymax uses for search results."

"Why?" Hiro asked. "Did he do something bad?"

"Oh...no reason. But he's in his charger now, so it can wait." She stepped through the doorway, turning back when the door was open just a crack. "You two just...enjoy yourself."

Hiro squinted in her direction, but Aunt Cass's only response was a wink as she closed the door.

Yup, he definitely knew why now.

He turned to go sit at the lone table, Karmi already occupying one of the seats. She seemed to be staring off in space, running her finger around the rim of her cup.

"You OK?"

She turned her head toward him, surprised. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He sat down across from her, his cup now on the table. "You're not. I've seen that look about twenty times tonight. It's never proceeded by anything that would be considered 'fine'."

"I just..." She leaned forward in her chair. "I'm not used to everyone being so nice to me. Especially your friends."

"Karmi, they can be _your_ friends too. I don't have a monopoly on friends."

She looked down at the table, not answering him.

"You even made Go Go laugh. _Go Go._ Fred's been trying to make her laugh for as long as I've known them and he hasn't been able to do it once. So, guess what? You already have that going for you."

Hiro watches as she got up from her chair and walked over to the railing next at the far end of the roof, folding her arms over her chest. He carefully followed her trail and stood next to her. "Karmi, what's wrong?"

Again, she stayed silent, instead looking out into the city. He was just about to give up and-

"Can I ask you a question?"

Oh boy, this could literally go anywhere. "Sure," he said, a little uneasy.

"...Why did Professor Granville bring you to me on that day?"

Sighing, he mirrored her stance beside her. "Well, you heard her. She wanted me to get 'socialization experience' or whatever. I'm sure that's what she said to you, right?"

Karmi nodded. "Something like that. I didn't think about it at the time, but looking back, it was weird that she would bring you to me of all people."

"Well, I think she wanted _you_ to connect with _me_. Get you out of your shell." Hiro glanced at her. "Because let's face it, you're not exactly the most sociable person in the world."

"I'm not like you, Hiro." She turned around, leaning on the railing with her back, face still sullen. "I can't just open up and let people in. I just can't do that."

"I'm not like that, either."

"Oh, really?" Karmi turned to him, almost angry now. "The entire night you just had would beg to differ."

"I mean, I didn't _use_ to be like that." Hiro threw his arms out wide. "I was a shut-in, Karmi. I was the weird guy who didn't fit in because I was smarter than everyone else. I didn't _have_ friends."

He brought his fist down on the railing, a little harder than he had intended. "And then I lost my brother."

Hiro didn't even have to look at her to know that she was staring at him, but he continued on anyway. "His friends...Honey Lemon, Go Go, Wasabi, Fred...they all tried to help, and for a while, I pushed them away. Wanted to be by myself. But...I found out that you can't go through something like that alone. You _need_ people to help you. And it took a while, but I'm glad that I figured that out. I wouldn't trade them for the world."

He turned back toward her and stared her in the eye. "So, if someone as stubborn as me can do it, why can't you?"

Karmi averted his gaze.

"What happened to you?"

"I...I can't tell you."

"You can't?" Hiro said. "Or you won't?"

"Not everyone has demons inside them, Genius Boy. Not everyone has problems that need fixing." Karmi was facing out towards the city again, hands clasped in front of her. "Some people are just...the way they are."

Hiro looked down and saw her fingers were shaking. His mind flashed back to the Periodic Cafe a lifetime ago, where he had comforted her through a difficult time. But that was different. This wasn't some math problem he was dealing with. It was someone's life.

_Take her hand._

Hiro shook off the voice in his head. It wasn't right. Although it was right there…

_**Take it.** _

Nope. This was a line. A line that he wasn't going to cross.

_**HIRO I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T TAKE HER HAND I WILL JUMP THROUGH THIS COMPUTER SCREEN AND-** _

"Stop."

"Who are you talking to?"

"N-no one," Hiro stammered. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be pressing you. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. Just...know that if you do need someone to talk to...don't make Granville drag me to you, OK?"

_...Fine, I guess I'll compromise with that._

Karmi smiled slightly, letting out a sigh. "That's fair." She straightened up, ready to walk back to the table. "Man, we're such a pity party up here. My mind is so jumbled right now."

"I'm pretty sure I have you beat there, Karmi."

"No, you don't. Believe me."

"No, I _don't_ believe you. But I tell you what." He grinned as he imagined the situation in his head. "We'll have a face-to-face competition, and if you win, I will personally make a pity trophy for you. It'll be a nice one that you can put on your dress-"

Karmi snapped her head toward him, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"...Er."

Narrower still.

"That's in your room."

OK, now it was almost impressive.

"That I wasn't suppose to see."

...Oh boy.

"You did see me! _I knew it!_ " Karmi poked Hiro hard in the chest. "You _pervert._ "

"I am not a pervert!" Hiro shouted. "That would imply that it wouldn't be considered acceptable. The situation that unfolded and the solution that I took were perfectly aligned with each other."

Karmi's head tilted forward, her eyes clouded with confusion. "Really? Semantics? That's what you're going to go with?"

"You know what? Yes. That's what I'm going to go with." He folded his arms and stood to his full height, silently claiming victory.

Karmi shook her head, an evil grin growing on her face. "OK. Then let me ask this then." She took a step forward and whispered in his ear.

"Did you like what you saw?"

Hiro desperately tried to hold down the flush creeping up his neck. "Unbelievable. I am _not_ going to answer that question."

"Oh, you don't need to. I already know the answer."

Karmi's phone began to ring, saving Hiro from further embarrassment. She brought the phone up to her as she walked away. "Hello?"

The call was only about twenty seconds long, which was long enough for Hiro to slip away. He didn't hear the entirety of the conversation, but he didn't mind. He had his own thing to do.

"OK, I'll see you in a bit." Karmi ended the call. "My ride will be here soon. My parents-"

"Just got back from wherever they were?"

She looked back to see Hiro back at the table, fiddling with something on his phone. She made her way back over to him. "You know, Wasabi told me that you told them my parents were out of town. I...don't remember telling you that."

"You didn't. I took a guess." Hiro tapped his phone a couple more times. "I mean, I figured when I asked you and you said you had to ask your parents on Wednesday that something was up. It normally doesn't take two days to ask permission for something."

Karmi didn't respond, instead taking her seat as well as another sip of her tea. It was kind of weird that Hiro always seemed to know what was going on with her. Maybe he was a mind reader.

Or he could just read context.

"So..." Karmi said. "How do you plan on entertaining me now?"

Hiro patted his armrest.

"What are you doing over there, anyway?

He waved his hand, signaling her to come over. Karmi dragged her chair over to his side, putting her chair right next to his. "Are we going to watch cat videos for the next ten minutes?"

"Nope." Hiro took his hoodie off, folded it up into a pillow, and set it back behind his head. "Although you may want to get comfortable."

He had not looked up as he continued to fiddle with his phone, so he only felt her sit back down and the slightest brush of her sweater on his neck. "OK, it's almost ready." He now focused on her. "Are you ready-"

And stopped.

Well...at least he knew what was under there now.

Karmi finished taking her sweater off, revealing the rest of her dress. It was just a continuation of her skirt, the orange extending all the way up her body to the thin straps over her shoulders. She shook her head to straighten her ponytail back out and threw her sweater over the back of her chair. "I'm ready."

It took all of his willpower to tear his eyes away from her. At least she hadn't noticed.

Hiro started the video, and Karmi leaned in to watch. It took place in a very dark room, a small stage in center with track lighting hanging just beyond the frame. Two microphones on their stands were sitting facing each other, a stool behind both.

Karmi's sharp intake gave her away before she started speaking. "Wait. This is...this is the video?"

"Yup."

He felt a weight on his shoulder, and he turned to see her head now resting on it, her ponytail laying on her body. "You comfy?"

She nuzzled her head into his neck a little more. "Yeah."

His stare lasted a second too long, as she raised her eyes to meet his. "What's your malfunction?" Karmi asked.

"Um..."

Yup, keep eye contact, Hiro. Definitely don't look any farther down.

Karmi seemed to have gotten the hint, as she glanced down at her body and back up again. Smirking, she reached back behind her chair and tossed a sweater sleeve over her neckline, blocking it from him. "Pervert."

Hiro turned his attention back toward the video, blushing madly. At least her tone was somewhat softer this time.

The stage on the screen was now occupied by Hiro and his brother, each standing behind a microphone. The song began to play in the background, and Tadashi leaned forward and started to sing.

Karmi was surprised. The high notes, the breaks...it was all there. She had only heard the song once before in passing, but this was a softer tone, stripped of all of the pomp and circumstance.

After about a minute, she saw Hiro open his mouth.

Man, if she was amazed before, she didn't know what she was now. She could tell he was definitely nervous, but as he went on, his voice evened out and got stronger.

All in all, it was an astonishing three-plus minutes.

As they wrapped up, the crowd, before beyond the frame, started standing up and cheering for the two. Past Hiro was scratching the back of his head sheepishly as Tadashi came over to him and rubbed the top of his head in affection.

"That was one of his favorite artists."

Karmi looked up at Present Hiro, who wiped a tear from his eye. "He had actually been practicing that song for a while, but his other partner pulled out at the last minute. So, he bribed me with chocolate and gummi bears."

"You were pretty good on that."

"It's kind of funny," Hiro said, setting the phone down. "He actually had a couple of songs picked out to do, but we heard so many...of them...there, that it just felt right, you know?"

They were both quiet for a moment, the roof now devoid of the sound of digital karaoke once again.

"So are you, still?"

"Still what?" Hiro asked.

Karmi glimpsed up at him again. "Tired of them."

He shrugged as best he could with one free shoulder. "Eh. They have their uses, I guess. I'm not going up on a stage to sing one. Not unless there's copious amounts of money involved."

"Or in your case, candy."

"Hey, I'm a simple kid."

"...Why did you show me the video?"

"Hmm?"

Karmi brought her body off of his shoulder, turning her waist to face him. "You didn't have to show me that. And from what I can tell, you haven't shown this to anyone else. Why me?"

Hiro took a deep breath, desperately trying to keep his pounding heart in his chest. "I..."

Oh man, there they were again. He could take them in small doses, but those eyes, coupled with the night's sky...

Those eyes were going to be the end of him one day; he could already tell.

"I...don't know," Hiro started. "Sometimes you know what to do and everything falls according to plan. And sometimes...you just have to take a chance. It's like that for friendship, too."

"I don't understand."

"But that's the point." He grasped the arm of the chair tightly. "Karmi, you're not suppose to understand everything in front of you. I thought I had everything figured out too. And then my brother changed all of that.

"I don't know what happened to you back then, and I don't _want_ to know if you're not ready to tell me. But...just know that sometimes all you need is one chance. And yeah, maybe I can't guarantee that I'll annoy you to no end or take stupid pictures of you or accidentally see you in your room without you knowing until today..."

Karmi tilted her head, her eyebrow raised.

"But the point is that one day, when you need someone to help you, or talk to, or just be there, I hope that you take a chance...on me."

The two teens stared at each other for a long while, silent. Not even her skin tone was enough to hid the redness that was now rapidly climbing up her body.

Oh...right. He wasn't suppose to be looking there.

He cleared this throat loudly. "That...sounded better in my head. Ca-can we build a time machine so I can go back to five minutes ago and try that again?"

There was no response from Karmi. At least not a verbal one.

She scooted her body right next to the edge of her chair, slid her arms around Hiro's neck, and pulled him into her embrace.

...Yup, turns out he did just fine.

"Thank you."

The breath from her whisper glided down his neck into his spine, sending a chill all throughout Hiro's body. This wasn't anything like before. Not on the steps. Not on the blimp. Not even in the Cafe. This...was something special.

_Don't mess this up, Genius Boy._

Great, now even his conscious was calling him that.

Hiro carefully put his arms around her waist. His fingers, normally touching the wool fabric of her sweater, now had soft cotton in their grasp. His hand, almost on its own, began to climb up her back…

The vibration of Karmi's phone on the metallic table jolted both of them out of the moment. She pulled back and grabbed her phone, one hand still resting on Hiro's shoulder. "Hello?"

A mumbled voice came over the other end which Hiro couldn't distinguish. Whatever it was, Karmi simply nodded. "OK, I'll be out in a second." She hung up the phone and refocused on him. "My ride is here. I...should get going."

"Yeah. Probably."

As much as he didn't want to, he let Karmi get up out of her chair. She grabbed her tea, purse, and sweater and walked with Hiro over to the door.

"So we'll go back to annoying each other on Monday?"

Karmi smirked as he opened the door for her. "Give me some time to write some insults over the weekend, OK? I'm all out for now."

Hiro laughed. "Yeah, same."

She started walking down the steps, but suddenly stopped at the corner. She craned her neck back at Hiro, who was still staring at her. "You're...different. You know that?"

He was surprised by the statement, but recovered. "Well, I am the youngest genius at SFIT, so that automatically makes me different."

"...You're never going to let go of that, are you?"

"Nope, probably not."

Karmi's grin grew wider, continuing down the stairwell. "Have a good night."

"Good night."

Hiro closed the door and waited for a few seconds, just to make sure she was out of earshot. Once he thought enough time had passed, he slowly put his forehead on the door, letting out the breath he had been holding for what felt like an eternity.

"Man, I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Thanks for everything, Ms. Cass!"

The sound of her voice coming from the street shook him out of his monologue. He had to balance himself on the edge of the railing, but there she was again. She was walking out the front door to a black car waiting across the street. She was almost at the passenger door when her hand stopped at the handle. She turned her head up toward him and smiled.

How she knew he was looking at him was a mystery, but it would have to wait for another time. She waved him goodbye, which Hiro returned in kind.

Once she got in and drove off, Hiro landed back down on the roof. He went back to the table, where he had abandoned his phone and drink. He woke his cell up and went to his recent calls.

The last phone number was still there, glaring at him in the face.

There was only one thing left to do now.

"Create Existing Contact..."

The next menu popped up, and Hiro typed Karmi's name into the first field. He tapped the next field…

And his thumb hovered over the keyboard.

"Wait."

Hiro exited out and went to a new text message.

" _What's your last name?"_

He hit Send as he grabbed his hoodie off the chair. As he reached for his drink, his phone chimed with a response.

" _Why do you need that?"_

Hiro quickly typed out a response. "Because...for...phone...reasons."

He held his phone up as his text got sent. Right after, the three dots started loading underneath it, cutting out and coming back several times. He was almost back at the door when her reply loaded in.

" _K."_

Amused, Hiro's fingers flew over the keyboard. " _Are you acknowledging it or are you playing hard to get?"_

Her text back was almost immediate.

" _That's all you're getting, Genius Boy. ;P Good night."_

He turned back towards the open area, the plants shifting in the wind. He couldn't tell if that was causing the chill or if it was the lingering remnants of her touch.

One thing was for certain, though, as he grabbed the knob on the door.

"You have to start somewhere, right?"

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** There is _so_ much that I want to put in this ending note, but I will desperately try to keep it at a minimum for reasons that will be explained at the end.

First of all, I know what everyone's going to ask. And here's my answer.

Ladies and gentlemen...there was only every one way this story was going to end. This ending (or at least the structure of it) has been written since the beginning. There was never going to be a declaration of love, or an anguished kiss in the pale moonlight.

Not in this story, anyway. That's not how I roll.

Look at the title of this story. **Foundation**.

It was right in front of you all along, people. You can't build a friendship and an eventual romance without the building blocks to support it. That's what I wanted to achieve in this story. I can only hope the collective you are not too peeved at me.

Secondly, the idea for the rooftop scene was pulled from the concept art for the Lucky Cat Cafe, found on the Big Hero 6 Wiki. It might help with picturing some of the situations happening up there, if you want that open.

Third, the song in the karaoke video? Not telling you. Partly because I'm evil, and partly because I want someone to figure it out. And if you do...look for the Stripped version. That's where the inspiration is from.

Four, the wardrobe choice for Karmi? You'll have to thank a certain DeviantArt follower of mine for that inspiration. And don't worry. You'll be getting a shout-out later.

Which leads us to five.

This is _not_ the last chapter.

There will be an epilogue put at the end of this story. It won't be anything too drastic, and will involve half of the teen genius combo as she tries to figure everything out.

With a little help from a student who _still_ can't get her train to not run off the tracks.

The epilogue, _**Extra Frame**_ , will be out next week. There will be an appropriate-length Author's Note there.

In the meantime, read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.


	7. Extra Frame

_**Disclaimer:** Big Hero 6 is owned by Disney Animation. There is a very important and long author's note at the end of this chapter, and I do hope you take the time to read it, as it touches on a few things about the future of my writing and stories._

_But as of now, it's about time Go Go caught her train._

* * *

_**Epilogue – Extra Frame** _

The train cars turned the corner for the final time, all metaphorical and literal cylinders burning.

"Come on."

Staring at her laptop, Go Go was worried. She had calculated everything correctly...she hoped.

The train came to stop in front of her clean. She silently cheered as the data started to compile onto her tablet. "I can't believe that finally worked. And all I had to do was add some stronger magnets to counter the centrifugal clutch." She reached for the front car to plug it in...

And it rocketed straight up in the air, the magnetic force causing it to come to rest right at the top of the roof.

"...That's new."

"Hi."

"Hey, Karmi," Go Go said, recognizing the voice.

And then she thought about it for a second.

Go Go looked away from her nesting train engine to see the teen genius standing in front of her track, looking back and forth between her station and Wasabi's. "Don't normally see you around our neck of the woods. Any particular reason?"

"I...uh..."

She smiled. "If you're looking for Hiro, you're out of luck. The guys went to some comic book thing downtown." She started typing away at her laptop. "Or, I should say Fred went and dragged the other two with him. Boys will be boys, I guess."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to _you_."

Go Go's fingers stopped over the keyboard, not really sure she heard her right. "Me?"

"If that's OK with you. I'd understand if you're busy."

"I mean, I _am_." She pointed upwards at her hovering project. "But apparently my project had different ideas."

At that moment, the train decided to come back down, crashing into the floor in a spectacular fashion.

"Huh." Karmi stared at it. "At least it didn't catch fire."

It then caught fire.

Karmi stepped back as Go Go went at the wreckage with a fire extinguisher. After a moment, she let up, revealing a smoldering pile metal and circuitry.

"Well...I guess I'm not busy anymore." She grabbed the dustpan and started to sweep the remnants of her project away. "So, what's up?"

The teen genius clutched her purse to her side, not responding.

"You know, this is the part of normal human interaction where you respond to my question. It's called a 'conversation'."

"Are we friends?"

The sudden question was off-putting, to say the least. "That's sort of an odd thing to ask."

"It's just..." Karmi leaned on Go Go's track, still not looking at her. "I apparently have a reputation that precedes me."

"Of one where people stay away from you because you don't fit into everyone's social norms so you stay in your lab all day long until you're almost forced out by people who only want what's best for you?"

She stared at the Korean. "That...is a very specific thing to say."

"It is." Go Go closed the laptop and turned to her. "Because I'm talking about me."

She pushed her wheelie chair toward Karmi and motioned for her to sit. "Look, I'm not going to stand here and talk to you about life and _kumbaya_ and whatever. But believe it or not, I used to be like you. But you're going to learn that the people who want to see you happy are the people who you should give your attention to. You learn that lesson really quick when you're here surrounded by these guys," she added, waving at the general area.

"I don't know what your malfunction is-"

"I don't have one." Karmi interrupted.

"Oh...you do." Go Go nodded her head. "We all do. We just don't know it yet."

Karmi stiffened her shoulders, looking away.

"Yeah, I took it too far, didn't I? My bad." Go Go walked over and put her hand on the back of the chair. "OK, first thing you need to know about us. I can be a little-"

"Blunt?"

"I was going to say 'forward', but yeah. We'll go with that," she said. "I would also accept candid, frank, and abrupt. Sorry, kiddo."

Karmi stared at her. "I'm not a 'kiddo'. I'm sixteen."

"Compared to everyone else, yeah. You're a kiddo." Go Go popped a bubble with her gum. "We already have one of those in our group; I wonder what the dynamic would be like if we added another."

She stood up from her chair angrily. "I am so much more mature than Genius Boy!"

Go Go raised an eyebrow, amused. "I...was actually talking about Fred, but hey." She patted the teen's head as she walked off. "It's good to know where your mind is."

Karmi took a step back as her cheeks started to flare. "I wasn't thinking about him!"

"Mmhmm." She finished her clean-up and shut off the light in her station. "Then why are you blushing?"

The teen genius' mouth hung open, unable to respond. Go Go shook her head in amusement as she walked back toward her. "I need to put my chair back, if you don't mind." She grabbed it and pushed it toward her table. "Look, he's a good kid. He's had a lot of crap happen to him in a very short time, and he's better because of it. But he'll need all of the friends he can get...and that includes you."

"You...didn't answer my question."

"Oh yeah, you _did_ have one, didn't you?" Go Go put her finger to her chin, lost in thought. "I guess I should answer it."

Karmi waited with bated breath.

"Do you _want_ to be friends with us?"

"Huh?" She wasn't expecting that. "You can't answer a question with a question. That's against the rules!"

"Yeah?" Go Go leaned toward her, an all-knowing grin on her face. "Not kissing someone under the mistletoe is also against the rules, so we'll just call ourselves even, OK?"

The teen's face grew even redder.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Go Go said. "But we'll leave that alone for now. So, I'll repeat the question. Do you _want_ to be friends?"

"...Yes."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you," she retorted, putting her hand over her ear. "Can you repeat that?"

"I said yes!"

"Yes, you what?"

" _Yes, I want to be your friend!_ "

The sound of something dropping behind them caused their heads to turn. Just entering the room was Honey Lemon, her purse now on the ground...and a gigantic smile on her face.

"Oh no." Though not as big, Go Go's smirk was still fairly evident. "Now you've done it."

"Oh my god, this is great!" Honey Lemon's arms wrangled around Karmi, pulling her into a bear hug. "I'm so happy for you, Karmi."

Go Go put her hands on her hips. "Second thing you need to learn about us..." She pointed over Karmi's shoulder to the new arrival. "She's a hugger."

She then noticed Karmi's face getting progressively crimson, and it wasn't because of the teasing this time. "I think she's running out of oxygen, Honey Lemon."

"Oh! Sorry!" She let go of Karmi, who doubled forward to regain her breath. "I went overboard, didn't I?"

"You know what?" Go Go pulled her wallet out of her shorts and started rummaging through it. "I still have some money left over from Fred's stupid bets from bowling. Why don't we go out and grab something? Just the three of us."

"How much cash did you get from him?"

"I don't like to quantify things." Go Go pulled out a wad of bills and showed them to the other two. "But let's just say it's a lot."

"You're not going to bleed him dry, are you?" Karmi asked.

The two older students glanced at each other.

"Karmi, I don't think there's a chance of that. But enough talk!" Go Go started dragging Karmi to the door. "Food first!"

Maybe this is what Karmi needed. Instead of worrying about what to do, someone should take the wheel and drive for her. And hey, the journey would be fun with people instead of alone. Go Go, Honey Lemon, everyone else...

And Hiro.

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?"

Karmi's head snapped toward Go Go, who sneered in response. "Don't worry," she lowered her voice. "It'll be our little secret."

Yup...this was definitely something she could build upon.

_THE END_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Again, I have a lot of things I want to say, and since this is _actually_ the last chapter, I will take the time to say it. Thus, this note will be a little long, so bear with me.

Even though I have been doing this whole fanfic writing thing for the past eight years, I still get nervous about reading reviews. So much so, that I didn't really take the time to sit down and read all of them since I've starting writing Big Hero 6, because I was honestly a little intimidated.

So naturally, on a random weekday at two in the morning, I read them all. On all the stories.

...You guys.

I am absolutely blown away by all of the great reviews you've left, and I am simultaneously ashamed that I didn't read them sooner. From the person on **Clean Up** who informed me of a serious incomplete sentence (which I've fixed a whole six months later), to the person who said I should work with the show's writers, given my maturity (which you clearly have never seen me on a normal day, but that's another story), to everyone in between.

Fichistory, who always gives such great feedback. Sofy-Chan, who hasn't let a language barrier stop them from commenting. Lelcar. GojiraCipher. Superkoola.  To anyone else who's reviewed for multiple fics and to everyone who has left anything, even the guests, and anyone who's name I've forgotten, across all three platforms. Thank you for taking the time to read my stuff, and I am so glad you enjoyed it. And I promise that I will try to do better with reading reviews.

I have to give a special thanks to KenKic4Ever (on Deviantart) and Daroszinha (on Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram) for taking the time to make fanart for this story. KenKic4Ever did Chapter 3's accidental peeking of Hiro on Karmi in her room as well as gave me some inspiration for Karmi's other attire in the story, and Daroszinha did a drawing of Hiro and Karmi's swapping of his hoodie and her sweater from Chapter 5. Please, _please_ go give them some love on their respective platforms, because they absolutely deserve it. It's the first pieces of fanart I've had in my eight years of writing, and I am _still_ floored by it.

So, now that we have that out of the way...I have some bad news. Sort of.

This is the end of the Hiro/Karmi fics. _**For now**_. And I want to stress that.

I have always tried to keep people updated with what I was doing, and that won't change here. I do have other Hiro/Karmi stories in the planning stage, and even some ideas that have cropped up since I've started writing this particular story. However, I have other BH6 stories I want to write before I get to them.

That being said, there will still be Hiro/Karmi moments. Heck, there might even be a one shot thrown in there.

 _Andtheremayevenbeapointintimewheretheyendupsleepinginthesamebed._ *cough*

But _for now_ , I want to focus on getting some other people into the fold. I feel like I've neglected the other members of BH6 and I want to rectify that.

So…my next story will be _**Part Time**_ (which is a pending title), focusing on the members of BH6 at their day jobs. It will be a series of one-shots with everyone involved (Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon & Fred, Karmi, and Hiro in that order) that will introduced some other Marvel characters into the mix. I don't want to give too much away, but I hope you give it a chance because I'm really excited about it. I do not have a timetable for when that'll start, but I hope it will be in a few weeks.

I am also going to attempt (for the umpteenth time) to update my DevArt journal on a regular basis, and I have a few ideas of what to do, so I hope you follow me there.

As always, read and review, if you like. Until next time...

Thank you.


End file.
